[‹p015›] FERUMBRAS DRAWS UP THE SARACEN TROOPS.

He saw the Romaynes come by the Cost,[106]discovered their
Thereof he hade grete dowte.coming,
He blewe an horne, of bras it was;sounded the alarm,
The Sarsyns be-go to wake.[488]
“Arise vp” he saide in aras,[107]
“We bene elles alle I-take,
And Armes anone, every wight,
To horse with spere and shelde!492
Ye may se here a ferefu sighte
Of oure enemyes in the felde.
Astopars,[108] goo ye biforne vs,and drew up his
For ye be men of myghte;496troops.
Ethiopes, Assayneȝ and Askalous,
Go nexte afore my sighte.
My Fadir and I with Babyloynes,
Ho[109] shal kepe the rerewarde.500
King Lukafewith Baldeseynes,
To venge alle, shalle have the Fowarde.”[leaf 13]
The Romaynes aspied, þat thai were ware
Of here comynge tha,504
And therfore hade thay moche care.
Natheles on hem thai go—
Seinte Petir be here socoure!—
And laiden on side, bake and bo.508
There bigan a sturdy shoureThere began a hard
Sire [110]Ferumbras of Alisaundre oo,[111]struggle.
That bolde man was in dede,
Vppon a steede Cassaundre gaye,512
He roode in riche Weede.
Sire Bryer of Poyle a Romayne to frayeFerumbras slew Sir
He bare through witħ a spere,Bryer of Apulia
Dede to the grounde ther he la516
Might he no more hem dere!

[‹p016›] A GREAT MANY ARE SLAIN ON EITHER SIDE.

That sawe Huberte, a worthy man,
Howe Briere was I-slay,
Ferumbras to qwite tha520
To him he rode ful eve.
With a spere vppone his shelde þa
Stifly ganne he strike;
The shelde he brake I-myddis the feelde;[524]
His Hawberke wolde not breke.
Many goode strokes were delte.
Ferumbras was a-greved tho,
He smote with mayne and mygħte528and the worthy Hubert.
The nekke asonder, the ventayle also,
That dede he sate vprighte.
There was bataile harde and stronge;
Many a steede wente ther a-straye,532
And leyen at the grounde I-stonge,
That resyn never aftyr that day,
IX thousand of the payens pride9000 pagans were
That day were slay,536killed,
And viij thousande of the Romaynes side,and 8000 Romans.
That in the feelde dede layne.
Lukafere, þat paynym proude,Lukafer destroyed
Slough Romaynes eyȝtene,540eighteen Romans,
Of wermoche sorowe he coude,he also slew Gyndard,
His strokes were over alle sene.a senator of Rome,
Gyndarde, a Senatoure of Rome,who had slain ten
Had slayne Sarsenys te,544[leaf 14] Saracens.
Tille he met with the cursed gome,
Lukifere slough him than.
Tho come the Pope with grete aray,Then came the Pope
His baner to-fore him wente.548with a great guard
Ferumbras than ga to assaye,and his banner before
If he myght that praye entente,him.
Supposynge in this though[t]e,Ferumbras, supposing
Ther was the souerayne;552him to be the
He spared him therfore rigħt nogħt,sovereign,

[‹p017›] FERUMBRAS ENCOUNTERS THE POPE.

But bare him dow ther in þeplay.burst open the thick
Anoo he sterte on him all anecrowd and threw him
His Ventayle for to onlace,556down to the ground.
And saugh his crow newe shafe,But seeing his
A-shamed thanne he was.tonsure, he was
“Fye, preest, god gyfe the sorowe!ashamed.
What doist thou armede in the feelde,[560]“Fie, priest,”
That sholdest saie thi matyns on morwe,he said, “what
What doist thowitħ spere and shelde?doest thou in the
I hoped, thohadiste be an Emperoure,battle-field?
Or a Cheftayne of this Ooste here,564
Or some worthy conqueroure.
Go home and kepe thy Qwe!
Shame it were to me certayneIt would be a shame
To sle the in this bataile,568for me to slay thee.
Therfore turne the home agay!”Go home and think of
The Pope was gladde þer-of certayne,[112]thy choir-service!”
He wente home to Rome that nyghtThe Pope retired with
Witħ Five thousande and no more,5725000 men,
XV thousande lefte in the feelde aplight,15,000 being killed.
Full grete sorowe was therfore.
Owe telle we of the messange,
That wente to Charlemayne,576Charlemagne, having
Certyfyinge him by lettres dere,learned from the
Howe the Romaynes were slayne,messenger the great
And howe the Contrey brente wasdisaster which had
Vnto the Gate of Rome,580befallen the Romans,
And howe the people song ‘alas,’
Tille socoure from him come.
“Who” quod Charles, that worthy kinge,said, he would not
“The Sowdo and Ferumbras?584desist until he had
I nyl lette for no thinge,[leaf 15] chased the
Till I him oute of Cristendome chace.soudan and Ferumbras
Therefore Gy of Burgoy,out of Christendom.
Mynne owen nevewe so trewe,588

[‹p018›] THE SARACENS AGAIN ATTACK THE CITY.

Take a thausande pounde of Frankis fyne,He gave 1000 pounds
To wage wytħ the pepul newe.of francs to his
Take this with the nowe at this tyme,nephew Guy of
And more I wole sende the,592Burgundy,
Loke that thou spare no hors ne shelde,and sent him off with
But þat he dede be;orders to advance
And faste hye the thyderwarde,against the soudan by
For I drede thay haue grete nede,[596]forced marches.
And I shalle come aftirwardeHimself would follow
As faste, as I may me spede.”as soon as possible.